Joachim Nitsch

Comparison of carbon capture and storage with renewable energy technologies regarding structural, economic, and ecological aspects in Germany

For the option of ‘‘carbon capture and storage’’, an integrated assessment in the form of a life cycle analysis and a cost assessment combined with a systematic comparison with renewable energies regarding future conditions in the power plant market for the situation in Germany is done. The calculations along the whole process chain show that CCS technologies emit per kWh more than generally assumed in clean-coal concepts (total CO2 reduction by 72–90% and total greenhouse gas reduction by 65–79%) and considerable more if compared with renewable electricity. Nevertheless, CCS could lead to a significant absolute reduction of GHG-emissions within the electricity supply system. Furthermore, depending on the growth rates and the market development, renewables

The potential for electricity generation from on-shore wind energy under the constraints of nature conservation: a case study for two regions in Germany

In spite of the well-acknowledged environmental benefits of electricity generation from wind energy, there is increasing concern about impacts from wind turbines on local ecosystems and on the natural scenery. A GIS-based approach is developed to analyse the effect of different nature conservation criteria on the wind energy potential in quantitative terms. Results for two case study regions in Germany, representing a coastal area with quite good wind conditions and an inland region with limited wind resources, illustrate to which extent the ban of wind turbines in, for example, landscape conservation areas, special bird protection areas, or areas with high visual sensitivity reduces the potential for electricity generation from wind energy. We conclude that even under strict nature conservation constraints there is still a large potential for on-shore wind energy use that can be used to establish a sustainable electricity supply in Germany.

Recommendations for the market introduction of solar thermal power stations

Until 2010, solar thermal power stations based on parabolic trough concentrating collectors can become a competitive option on the worlds electricity market, if the market extension of this mature technology is supported by a concerted, long-term programme capable of bundling the forces of industry, finance, insurance and politics. Technical improvements based on the experience of over ten years of successful operation, series production and economies of scale will lead to a further cost reduction of 50% and to electricity costs of 0.06 - 0.04 US

Combined solar power and desalination plants for the Mediterranean region — sustainable energy supply using large-scale solar thermal power plants☆☆☆

/kWh for hybrid steam cycles and hybrid combined cycles, respectively. Until 2010, a capacity of 7 GW will be installed, avoiding 16 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. The programme comprises an investment of 16 billion US

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act - an investment into the future pays off already today

and requires external funding of 6%.

Renewable Energy in Europe

The paper gives a review of concentrating solar power technologies and shows their perspectives for sustainable development and climate protection. New concepts for the combined generation of power and water are presented together with instruments for enhanced project assessment using remote sensing technologies and geographic information systems. The vast solar energy resources of the South can be activated by international renewable energy alliances and allow for a smooth transition of the present electricity schemes to a sustainable power system based on renewable energy sources.

Renewable energies: between climate protection and nature conservation?

While the success of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act in supporting the use of renewable energy sources for electricity generation is widely acknowledged, it is partly criticised for imposing unjustified extra costs on society. Based on the well established ExternE methodology for the quantification of environmental externalities the paper makes an attempt to estimate the external costs avoided in the German energy system due to the use of renewable energies for electricity generation, and to compare them against the compensation to be paid by grid operators for electricity from renewable energies according to the Renewable Energy Sources Act. In spite of existing uncertainties associated with the assessment of external costs, results clearly indicate that the reduced environmental impacts and related economic benefits do outweigh the additional costs for the compensation of electricity from renewable energies.

Impacts on the National Energy System

There are different, partly complementary reasons to foster the growth of renewable energy sources (RES) in Europe. Reducing the environmental impact of energy supply on the local (e.g. emissions of pollutants) and the global level (reduction of green house gases) has been a major incentive for RES policies in the last two decades. In some countries, concerns about the safety of nuclear power generation has motivated the search for RES as an alternative. Considering Europe’s growing dependency on foreign energy sources, the security of energy supply by replacing foreign fossil and nuclear fuels by domestic RES is another motivation gaining more and more attention In 1999, half of EU-15’s energy demand was covered by imported energy and this share is expected to increase to 70 % within the next two to three decades. Social and economic benefits of RES like creating new industries with good export prospects, positive structural effects on regional economies or job creation are further areas of motivation to support RES. The characteristics of RES lead to public benefits in all of these areas.

Langfristszenarien und Strategien für den Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien in Deutschland bei Berücksichtigung der Entwicklung in Europa und global

The use of renewable energies is considered as a key strategy for achieving global CO2-reduction targets. In countries like Germany, where policy support programmes stimulated a dynamic growth of renewables, we had to observe also increasing public concern towards the impacts from RES technologies – in particular wind turbines – on ecosystems and the natural scenery, leading to the question on whether the contribution of renewables to climate protection is at the expense of nature conservation. Taking Germany as an example, we quantified limitations in the RES-potential from a broad range of nature conservation safeguard subjects. Results show that in Germany the target for expanding the share of renewables from currently 3% of primary energy consumption to 50% in 2050 can be realised without getting in conflict with nature conservation requirements. Potential areas of conflict between the use of renewables and nature conservation however exist, and constraints from a nature conservation perspective shall be carefully respected when designing RES-strategies.

Renewable energy and employment in Germany

A scenario analysis helps to determine the impact of an ageing and shrinking population on the energy sector in the context of pathways to sustainability. The scenario analysis in InfraDem follows the German “Lead Scenario” for the implementation of official targets for renewable energies and efficiency measures. This scenario points out an ambitious but realistic development towards a far more sustainable energy supply system by 2030 with long-term perspectives for a low-carbon energy system by 2050. The analysis takes into account the InfraDem population, GDP and household projections. The results show that demographic change will have a rather small impact on the national energy system compared to expected changes caused by political targets and strategies and the implementation of new energy technologies. The difference between the InfraDem high and low variant is between 3 and 4% for energy consumption and emissions. Although total population will decrease significantly until 2030, demographic change will tend to increase the residential power and heat demand due to an increasing floor space per capita and total household number as well as the higher specific energy demand of older people.